Can Social Pressure Foster Responsiveness? An Open Records Field Experiment with Mayoral Offices

Bryant J. Moy

NOTE: This public data file does not include the control variables, because I made a commitment to the IRB to keep the public officials in the experiment anonymous. Consequently, the R file does not recreate the all the tables and figures in the appendices. Results from the paper can be replicated using lines 20 - 56. The power analysis can be replicated using lines 150-160. And the manipulation check starts at line 350.

Data: Moy_JEPS.RData (unrestricted)
	
	responsive: dependent variable which indicates whether the mayoral office responded to the request
	
	AssignedT: Randomly assigned treatment group [Treat_Duty, Treat_Peer, Control]

	Peer: Assigned to the Peer condition

	Duty: Assigned to the Duty condition

	Control: Assigned to the Control condition

	Peer_Open: Indicator of whether the Peer email was received/opened

	Duty_Open: Indicator of whether the Duty email was received/opened
	
	OPEN: Indicator of whether the email was opened regardless of experimental group

	duration1: Time in days to the initial response.



Manipulation Check
	
	D1: How likely are you to respond to this request?


	D2: Generally, what are your thoughts about the content of this request? (Please write at least two sentences.)


	D3: Knowing the open records request came from a non-constituent researcher makes me less likely to respond.


	D4: Knowing that only half of the public believes local government are effectively sharing information makes me more likely to respond.


	D5: I feel more pressure to respond because of the following statement, "American believe government have a civic duty to share information with their constituent. However, according to the Pew Research Center, only half of Americans believe local governments are effectively sharing data with the public."


	D_Last: Please write any other comments about this open records request.


	P1: How likely are you to respond to this request?
	

	P2: Generally, what are your thoughts about the content of this request? (Please write at least two sentences.)


	P3: Knowing the open records request came from a non-constituent researcher makes me less likely to respond.


	P4: Knowing the open records request went to 1400 other city executives makes me less likely to respond


	P5: Knowing a report will be released about the open records request makes me more likely to respond.

	P6: Knowing a report will be sent to other city executives makes me more likely to respond.


	P7: Knowing other people outside of the requester might have access to the emails makes me less likely to respond.


	P8: I feel more pressure to respond because of the following statement, "We have sent this request to 1400 other city government executives and plan to publish a report about our results."


	P_Last: Please write any other comments about this open records request.


	Last: Is there anything you would like to tell us about the survey?

